The bionic burger – food fantasy or future?

Thu, Aug 22, 2013 15:21 CET

GLOBAL demand for food, pressure to combat climate change and advancements in technology could see synthetic meat enter the market sooner than we may think, according to a lecturer at Shropshire’s Harper Adams University.

And with food companies under increasing pressure to find ways of producing more for less, artificial meat on supermarket shelves could soon become reality, says Terry Pickthall, Senior Lecturer and Placement Manager for Agriculture at the university near Newport.

Mr Pickthall’s comments come after the world’s first synthetic burger made from meat grown from bovine stem cells was cooked by a British chef and eaten on live TV by food critics earlier this month.

The meat, developed through a research project at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and funded by one of the founders of Google, has proved extremely controversial and has attracted much comment and criticism from food, farming and environmental experts.

“Some argue that such developments are unnecessary and that there is more than enough conventional meat to go round if it could be consumed sustainably and those in the West were willing to consider eating more balanced diets,” he added.

“According to DEFRA, demand for meat in the UK has fallen in recent years. Globally, however, the demand for both red and white meat is likely to increase and most would argue that an increase in production is essential.

“An ever-increasing population means more mouths to feed and these mouths want to eat more meat.

“Increasing production, however, brings problems. The climate change debate continues to polarise opinion. Fossil fuels are a big target, but so also are beef and milk production given cows are major producers of methane.

“There is already massive pressure on land usage and sustainable red meat production typically requires a large amount with intensive techniques being viewed as controversial.

“Food scares like the recent horsemeat scandal cause continued mistrust of the meat industry.

“Being able to grow ‘pure’ meat in an artificial manner could arguably demonstrate better food safety and control of fat content also appeals from the health side”

Mr Pickthall believes pressures such as these could see synthetic meat actually revolutionise meat production in the long-term.

“Large food companies will no doubt be keen to investigate and invest in technology that allows them to produce large amounts of food in a controlled, consistent and low cost manner,” he added.

“The main barrier is perhaps the perception of eating an ‘engineered’ food product and mistrust of what has gone into it.

“However, if you look at the ingredients list of many of the processed foods we already eat, it could be argued that this is already the case!

“I personally doubt that synthetic beef will ever fully replace traditionally farmed. The quality and flavour of meat refined over generations through breeding, animal husbandry and the expertise of the farmer and butcher is not something that can be mimicked easily in a factory.

“However, with red meat already being increasingly seen as a luxury item, particularly as Western consumers’ pockets become shallower in the wake of continued economic woes, I think it likely that farmed meat may become more of a specialist product, whilst synthetically produced meat caters for markets where there is sufficient pressure and demand.

“How long it will be before you find a synthetic burger or kebab at your local takeaway remains to be seen. However, history shows us how dramatically technology has changed food production and is continuing to do so through disciplines such as precision farming and genetic modification.

“Synthetic meat gives us an idea of how science and technology could go way beyond improving the efficiency of current practices and remove the need for animals to be farmed. Food for thought indeed!”

Harper Adams University is the UK's leading specialist provider of higher education for the rural and land-based industries. Our mission is to deliver higher education and research for the delivery of a sustainable food chain and rural economy. To see how Harper Adams can help you, visit www.harper-adams.ac.uk

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Harper Adams University College is the UK’s leading provider of specialist higher education and research for the food chain, rural and land-based industries. Undergraduate, postgraduate and PHD subjects cover every aspect of food production, from agricultural engineering to food marketing, land management and animal health and welfare. For more information visit www.harper-adams.ac.uk